On the Way Home
by Yma3591
Summary: A short story that patches up what happened between Rage of the Fallen and Lure of the Dead. Follow the story behind what happens as Tom Ward, accompanied by the Spook and Alice, leave Ireland and return to the County. Pure fanfiction, and I tried to stick as closely with Delaney's plot as I could.
1. Unexpected Vistors

Yma3591 Presents: On the Way Home (A Last Apprentice Fanfiction)

Chapter 1

Unexpected Visitors

The crisp morning air breezed through my cloak as Alice and I followed the Spook out of Kenmare. Soft, green grasses brushed my boots as I followed my master across the hills of Ireland. My master walked with a renewed strength and seemed to be younger than ever. Recently, we learned that the enemy has been defeated and already retreated from the County. The Spook told me that it was because we bound the Fiend, the dark clothed in flesh. The manifestation of evil represented by the enemy soldiers had thus been dissipated. The world seemed to be a much brighter place and the dark has receded. We were now heading back to the County, our true home, but I still have fears about Alice. She had just been rescued from the Fiend's domain by the Old God Pan, and hadn't had a full recovery yet. Alice's hair was now stark white, purely from the shock of visiting the Fiend's domain. I still am afraid that she might have been closer to the dark than ever now. I quickly stole a glance at Alice and she smiled back to me. Her pretty brown eyes looked at mine and she asked:

"What's the matter Tom, ain't no cats around here to get your tongue!" We both laughed at her joke but my master suddenly stilled us.

"Be quiet lad, you too girl. Claw has sensed something behind that hill!" I stopped and noticed that our dogs- Claw, Blood, and Bone- were growling. They had sensed someone's presence here and were warning us. Quickly, I readied my staff in the defensive position Bill Arkwright had taught me.

"Who goes there?" The Spook demanded, proceeding forward towards the hill with his staff. Suddenly, I felt the air chill around me, a warning that something of the dark was there. Before we had any time to react, an orb of light flew toward us. I felt Alice suddenly tense by my side. The orb seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember what it was. Claw began to bark furiously with her pups as more and more orbs flew out from behind the hill. After a couple of seconds, thirteen orbs of light were circling and dancing around us. To my shock, my master gave a groan and fell to his knees. It was just a moment ago that he was full of strength, and it shocked me to see him suddenly weaken drastically. Right after my master fell, I felt a tugging sensation in my head and my body turned impossibly cold. I gasped out loud, trying to gain feeling, but it felt as if the sun itself was dimming and water was clogging up my ears. My senses were all dying and I suddenly realized that these were Romanian witches who were draining my life force. We had been taken by surprise and now we couldn't fight back. The last thing I heard and felt was Alice muttering in the Old Tongue and another sliver of ice sliding through my body before falling into the dark.

"Tom! Tom! Wake up!" Alice's worried voice broke through my unconscious state. My eyelids flew open and I looked around me. My master was sprawled over the ground, his staff in the grass a couple inches away from his hand. Alice's dress was slightly covered in mud. Her normally high cheekbones were tense and her eyes had a tired look in them. Our wolfhounds were at her side, whimpering with fear.

"What happened, Alice? The last thing I remembered was my sight dimming and my ears deafening. I heard you mutter something before I fell unconscious. What did you do?" I questioned her.

"Had no choice, did I? They were Romanian witches and they were draining you and Old Gregory of your animas. I used a spell I learned from that shaman's notebook how to protect you against them. Ain't my fault that I'm forced to use dark magic to save us!" Alice replied quickly, seeing my disapproving look. I remembered during our visit to Mona that a buggane drained my animus, the life force of a person, and I felt the same experience from the Romanian witch attack. During my state of unconsciousness when the buggane drained me, Alice had spoken through my head:

_"Get harder or you won't survive. Just doing what Old Gregory says won't be enough. You'll die like the others! You've got to match the dark, Tom!" _I realized then that Alice and I were a new way to fight the dark. There was a sliver of darkness inside me, so I could use the dark against itself. This was the reason that my Mam gave birth to me, as the hunter of the dark. For the umpteenth time, Alice saved my life using dark magic. Although my master had his beliefs, I would have to compromise myself if I want to survive and be the hunter, not the hunted. I gave a sigh, Alice did have a point.

"You're right, we have to use the dark to fight the dark, but you know that my master wouldn't approve. Ever since you returned from the dark, he's been suspicious of you and I don't want him to put you in a pit!" I was worried that the Spook would eventually find out how much Alice had been corrupted. He would immediately bind her if that were the case. The only reason he hasn't bound Alice already was because of how many times she proved useful, along with the reminder about the love of his life, Meg Skelton. I heard a feeble moan near me and looked to see my master getting up.

"Well lad, don't just stand there gawping, retrieve our bags!" The Spook commanded me, slowly sitting up. I went over the hill and found the bags. Quickly, I snatched it up and brought them back to my master.

"The girl used the dark again, didn't she?" The Spook demanded. Alice nodded sadly and looked away.

"Slowly but surely, lad, she's becoming a malevolent witch. The girl was born with the heart of a witch and she has no choice to continue." I felt sorry for Alice, but my master was slowly being compromised to the dark and it was contradicting all his beliefs. The Spook gave a sigh of resignation. "Well I suppose it was all for the best, girl. I still have my life and so does the lad there. Although this goes against my beliefs, I will have to fight the dark with the dark," He shook his head, "Maybe in the future, all spooks will use this as a new method for our trade. Who knows? We spooks may even be using dark since the day we started! The best thing to do now is to continue back to our County, we'll sort things out there."

I nodded, albeit a bit surprised at my master's acceptance of the dark. We started across the hill at a faster pace. Our dogs started bounding forward with renewed vigor. The Spook, Alice and I were rapidly approaching Killorglin.


	2. Running Water

Chapter 2

Running Water

We were approaching the Irish town at a rapid pace, but I had a feeling of dread inside me. Not too far away from us was a river, and we had to cross it to get to Killorglin. There was a stone bridge that spanned across the gaps, but I wasn't afraid of that. I was scared that Alice wouldn't be able to cross the bridge anymore, as she got closer and closer to the dark.

"Well lad, it seems that we can finally test how far the girl's gone to the dark now." Apparently, my master had also thought of the river and was now walking towards the bridge grimly. Alice gave a gasp of fear and turned pale, her hand found mine and clenched tightly.

"Don't worry, Alice. I don't care what Mr. Gregory says. If you belong to the dark, you're still my friend and I'll be there for you." I whispered into her ear. I really didn't know what made me say that, but it felt right and it was true. Alice gave me a slight smile and cautiously edged her left foot onto the bridge. The second her pointy shoe hovered over the water, I could see Alice's face tighten with pain. Slowly, she put her other foot on the bridge and gasped in pain. Then, I saw Alice's eyebrows furrow in concentration, and she sudden dashed across the bride, only to fall gasping on the ground. I quickly ran across the bridge and hugged her, she was shivering uncontrollably. Alice made it across the running water, but now it was even harder for her than before, almost impossible. I could tell that she was in great pain, and all I could do was put my arms around her and pull her tightly to me. The act comforted her slightly, but she still didn't stop trembling.  
"I think we have our answer, lad. The girl has the heart of a witch now. I only have one question left, 'What do we do with her?'" Immediately, I stood up and blocked Alice my body.  
"Please, can't she stay? At least until we get to Chipenden!" The Spook shook his head sadly, "I don't know what to do anymore, lad. She's certainly a witch, but we've required her services more than once. We'll have to deal with her once I can get back to that house of mine." From the corner of my eye, I saw Alice shakily get up. She opened her mouth and spoke: "Ain't got no choice, have I? The daughter of a witch, and the Fiend! I have to be a witch, but you need me to help with your trade. I took care of the jibbers and saved your life. I can help, I really can!" Alice's eyes were glistening with tears after that and she started towards Killorglin. My master shook his head again, and muttered under his breath.  
"Well what are you waiting for? We have a horse and cart to hire!"


	3. One Last Scream

Chapter 3

One Last Scream

When the Spook and I finally caught up to Alice, we were already inside Killorglin. As usual, people avoided us and we could quickly make our way through the bustling crowds. After a few minutes of walking, my master led us into a cheap, worn-down inn called The Dancing Leprechaun. It was a dark place, and I was curious why he chose it. The walls had a light layer of mold and the sickening stench of rotting wood emanated from the tables.  
"Why did you lead us here? This isn't the best of inns." I asked my master. Usually, we had enough money to stay at higher quality inns, and although it wasn't unusual for my master to choose a cheaper inn, this was a far cry from what we both were used to.

"Well lad, although we have some coins left over from our friends at Kenmare, but it's hardly enough to fund for our trip home. We might as well stay here a bit and see if we can earn more." I nodded, what the Spook said made sense. As much as I would like to go home, I would have to wait a bit longer. My master walked up to the innkeeper's counter.

"Hello! Welcome to the Dancing Leprechaun! Although this might not look like much, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed." The innkeeper grinned. I could see his eyes trailing down to the bag of coins in my master's hand. I groaned inwardly in my head, I could already tell that it would be an uncomfortable night. Quickly, I stole a glance at Alice and she had the same look. Again, I glanced around the room. Cobwebs lined the corners of the room while the tables were tilting dangerously from age.

"How much is one night?" The Spook calmly stared at the other man. His green eyes glinted, and I saw the other man's eyes widen with fear.

"You aren't one of them…mages….are you?" His voice trembled. I almost laughed. So many people misinterpreted the jobs of a spook.

"No, you needn't worry. I am a spook; our trade requires us to wear these cloaks."

"And what might that trade be?" My master's eyes narrowed dangerously as he replied, "We deal with the dark." I saw a hint of recognition in the innkeeper, but he stopped asking afterwards.

"Well for one night, that will be three shillings, one for each of you." He said, quickly recovering from that ordeal. My master picked out a few coins from his pouch and passed it on, "We will be staying for five nights here, but I expect money returned if we leave any earlier." The innkeeper eyes widened at the sight of money. He nodded and quickly pocketed the coins into his scruffy coat pocket. He then passed us three keys from the bottom of his desk. The spook handed each of us one, and mine had a cold, slimy touch. After my master passed each of us a loaf of bread with meat, we walked into our respective rooms. My heart lurched when I unlocked the door with my key. The room was brightly lit, but somehow managed to retain a dark and gloomy look despite everything. Mildew leaked from the sides of the windows while cockroaches scurried across the floor. There were unidentifiable liquids splashed over the floor which gave it an eerie, blood-red color. As for my bed, I could see the rotten mattresses dusty from the lack of use. Sighing, I sat down and started to eat. Recollecting the events that had passed during the month, I failed to notice an icy feeling pulse through my spine. Suddenly, I snapped out of my memories and felt the dark presence in the room. It was definitely malevolent and had evil intentions in mind. From just guessing, I could distinguish this as one of the previous jibbers that I had dealt with. In my head, I immediately heard someone faintly, but furiously muttering what seemed like gibberish. I immediately knew that this was a Jibber, something that Alice and I had dealt with before in previous inns. There was no way to subdue such spirits other than the usage of dark magic. Although my master despised using dark magic, he pretended not to notice when Alice and I dealt with a Jibber. He had no other ideas on how to defeat one yet he wouldn't take part in such a dark act, so he tended to stay away when there was a problem with a Jibber. I called out to Alice when sinister whispering started in my head. In another few minutes, I would have gone mad. Alice burst through the door and instantly started muttering in the Old Tongue. There was a horrible shriek, and the Jibber was gone, and left there was the lost spirit.

"What… what happened?" I heard a befuddled cry. The ghost sounded like a young man and seemed so confused that it reminded me of the spirits that were in Limbo. Some of them did not know that they were dead yet and still roamed Limbo confused on what had happened.  
"You have died, and are now roaming through the grey mists of Limbo," I replied. "You must go to the light, after you died, your spirit was wrongly used as a dark entity that drives people mad with its speech."  
"What is the light?" The ghost asked.  
"Do you not see a light in the distance, a bright speck in the grey mist?" I asked.  
"No, no, no! I'm so confused! What is going on?" Came his panicked reply.  
"Relax, do you remember any happy memories in the past?" This was hard because the spirit was so confused that he could barely think. Few spirits that I have sent to the light have been this confused, they usually understood immediately.  
"Well, I remember sitting below a tree with my lass. She was leaning down on my shoulder while we were staring peacefully at the sunset. I remember how happy and perfect the world was that day."  
"Concentrate on that feeling and remember how that sunset looked. Do you see it now? Do you see the bright light of the sunset through the grey mist? Head towards it now, you have found the light!" I heard him give a shout of joy and then it was cut off as he left. Finally looking back at Alice, I gave a tired smile as she walked over and took my left hand in hers.

"Well Tom, the light sure seems to be a better place to be in than the dark." Her voice was remorseful. "I sure wish that after all of this, I could go to the light instead of returning to the dark." She gave a shudder, and I squeezed her hand to comfort her. We sat like that for a while before she left to sleep. I lie there in my bed as well, and went to sleep shortly afterwards being exhausted by the day's events.


	4. Dublin

Chapter 4

Dublin

In the morning, my master woke me up with a knock on my door. I quickly got up to find him and Alice waiting for me, both already dressed up and ready to go.  
"We're leaving, lad." The Spook said in a low voice. Alice nodded in agreement.  
"But we do not have enough money for the ship ride home!" I argued.  
"If you hadn't noticed, the innkeeper has no jobs for us and we would only be wasting time and money staying here longer!" My master took out a small pouch of coins. "We already earned part of the fare and there will be more people sleeping here now that the Jibber's gone. We'd best be off, lad." I nodded. When we left through the door, the innkeeper smiled and waved at us, I realized that he paid us the hefty sum because he was confident in earning it back. Although the inn itself was a horrible place to stay, it was cheaper than most and more people would be willing to pay for it. The Spook led us to a small dirty shack in the edge of town. We hired a cheap and dirty carriage to ride us to Dublin. Throughout the whole day, we rode the carriage only stopping to change the horses. It was night when we reached Dublin, and the streets were bare. I trudged tiredly on, the carriage ride was exhausting. It wasn't until we had a good ten minute walk when the Spook stopped us. In front of us stood a well-lit inn and it seemed to be very luxurious as well. I heard light Irish music drifting through the windows and the sounds of laughter. The smell of lamb stew coming from the chimney made my stomach growl. Even so, I was curious as to why the Spook finally led us to such an expensive inn.  
"Well, lad, I bet you're thinking why I brought us here when we barely have any money. The reason is that we need a place to establish the fact that we are spooks looking to earn some money, and a rich inn will be the best place to advertise our trade. If I'm not mistaken, most of the Irish spooks have gone to hiding because of all the recent events with the dark getting stronger. Dublin will need a capable spook." My master replied to my unspoken question in such a timely fashion that surprised me. I quickly nodded in agreement and we walked through the doors. Instantly, the light atmosphere diminished and everyone inside became silent. It was a while before the innkeeper came out and scowled at us.  
"What are the likes of you doing here?" He asked with his arms crossed.  
"We are looking for some money because we need to pay our fare for the ship ride back to our home." My master explained. The innkeeper narrowed his eyes, but he nodded and looked around.  
"And you people might be spooks?" My master nodded again.  
"Aye, and we take our job seriously. Our job is to rid you of anything that goes bump in the dark."  
"Well then, you can ask Jack Reilly 'bout that, they calls him Crazy O'Reilly they do, and for a good reason at that. Claims he sees witches, demons, and ghosts. He lives just down this road in that old barn of his. I bet you he'll have a job for you three." The Spook thanked him and handed him a few coins. Reluctantly, the innkeeper took the money and handed the keys to our rooms.  
"Please, keep a low profile and stay out of trouble, people here don't like living near a spook." He warned. The Spook quickly nodded and we quickly walked into our rooms.

In the morning, the Spook and I left the inn without Alice. Since Alice was a witch, and Jack O'Reilly was said to be able to tell if she was a witch, we didn't want to risk bringing her and scaring him. The path down the town started looking more and more worn, growing muddier by the second. Finally, we reached the barn. Outside, you could see dust flecking the walls. The red paint was coming off and there were patches of brown wood where the paint had completely peeled off. As we walked closer, I saw broken shutters near the top of the barn as well as cobwebs lining the corner. My master rapped on the barn door three times and a crazy eyed man came out. His hair had thick, tangled locks that were coated in dirt and grime. He cowered a bit when he saw the Spook stare down at him.

"What do you want? Leave me be!" He screeched.

"Nay, are you the one they call Crazy O"Reilly?" my master asked him.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, wots it to you?" At this, my master's eyes glinted.

"We are spooks, and we are looking to find a job that pays well so that we can return to our home. The people over at the inn told us that you could need our help with the dark." With that, O'Reilly's eyes opened wide.

"So you are them spookers that keep out the witches right?" The Spook nodded.

"And you say you're going home, but where to?" O'Reilly narrowed his eyes.

"Back to the County, we need the money for a ship."

"And in return you will get rid of them witches?" Again, my master nodded. I could tell that he was quickly getting impatient. "Well I do need help, but I'm afraid I can't pay you. You see, I don't have much myself, but I knows one of the ferrymen who owes me a little favor. If you sort out this one witch, I could get him to bring you back home."

"Very well, now where is this witch?" O'Reilly pointed towards a forest behind the barn.

"Yonder is a clearing, and that's where I can feel her. Every night, she comes here to kill one of my chickens, but nobody would help me." He took a wild glance back, and I saw that there was indeed a chicken coop filled with 3 chickens.

"You can feel her, but you don't know where she lives?" The Spook raised his eyebrows. This was a common sign of a seventh son of a seventh son. "Well then, lad, let's get started!"


	5. The Dublin Witch

Chapter 5

The Dublin Witch

My master pulled out a piece of cheese for me and a piece for himself.

"We'll have to eat it on the way back to the inn, lad. That girl has to come along with us." I smiled, he was finally including Alice more and more. By the time we had reached the inn, it was midday.

"Did you find him?" The innkeeper asked us the second we walked in. The Spook nodded. "Well you folks should be heading out, the sooner the better. I don't want any trouble here." We walked upstairs and found Alice sitting at a table, copying the Bestiary. The Spook's Bestiary was a detailed description on everything that has been known about the dark. It was passed down from generations of spooks, accumulating priceless knowledge about the dark. The Bestiary also happened to be the only surviving book from my master's library back at his burnt down house in Chipenden.

"Alright girl, pack up, the lad and I are going to go deal with a witch and we might need you with us. This one's a Celtic witch and we may need your knowledge to combat the unexpected." Alice nodded and picked up the books on the desk. She looked at me with a worried stare and I knew we were thinking the same thing: Another witch like Scarabek.

I couldn't help but remember the first Celtic witch I met. I was still training with Arkwright when I first saw her. She was an assassin, sent by her fellow witches and goat mages to hunt down a leader of the landowner's federation. His wife had called on Arkwright, at first wanting us to get rid of a banshee, but then she finally admitted that she had lied and the banshee was actually a Celtic witch. Arkwright and I chased her, but he had fallen and I followed the witch into the barrow where she lived. Inside, I had to make a deal with the witch to let me out as long as she wasn't harmed in the process, but Arkwright killed her the second we left the barrow. I never got to truly see how powerful Celtic witches were until much later, when I faced Scarabek, the sister of whom Arkwright had killed. I felt nervous that we had to face another Celtic witch so soon.

"Ready?" asked the Spook, opening the inn's door. Alice and I both nodded and followed him out of the inn. Before the door slammed shut, I looked behind me and saw the innkeeper sighing in relief. As much as I didn't like people's natural tendency to fear spooks, I couldn't blame him for feeling the way he did. The midday sun was scorching hot and soon, I had to take a drink from my bottle and passed it to Alice. She took a drink as well, nodding her thanks. We approached the barn again, but this time we cut straight past it and went towards the forest behind it. Inside the forest, it was much cooler and there was a constant source of shade from the trees. It was a relief to be out of the burning sunlight, but I was also on the edge as well, constantly expecting something to go wrong. Finally, we reached a clearing in the forest just as O'Reilly had said. There was a small cabin in the center of it and my spine immediately chilled. There was a deadly silence and even the sunlight seemed to be a lot dimmer near this area. Alice motioned to me that she could feel a powerful witch. I nodded back.

"This is it, lad, take out your silver chain!" my master commanded, bringing out his own. "She feels like a strong one too!" As we approached the door to the cabin, I heard a chilling voice: _Leave me alone, or you will be dead!_ I shivered slightly, and looked at the Spook. He looked at me as well and I could tell he hear the voice as well. Alice on the other hand, seemed calm and unperturbed. I knew that she was possibly the most powerful witch in existence, but Alice told me that every use of her power brought her closer to the dark which was why she never used it. It was reassuring though, that if all went wrong Alice would use her powers. Quickly, my master kicked the door open and stepped inside with his chain ready to throw. I drew mine out as well. I considered drawing the Hero Blade for a second, but then thought better because it would only make me slower. I quickly followed after my master into the cabin, but there was nobody inside. Suddenly, I saw a silver flash of light and ducked immediately. A knife buried itself on the wall right where my head was before. I quickly got in a defensive stance, but then I saw the witch. She had long, dark hair and a pale face. Her eyes were bloodshot and she seemed fairly young. Before I could get a better glimpse though, she already shoved the Spook aside and leapt out the door. I saw my master quickly recover from the initial shock and he quickly cast his silver chain at the witch. She was too fast though, and the chain only glanced a bit off her forearm. I heard a hiss of pain and then both the Spook and I were both running. The witch took a quick turn around the house and ran through a path behind it. We followed her as fast as we could, with Alice just behind us. After a few minutes, we lost sight of the witch and arrived at a fork in the path. The Spook gave a slightly irritated grunt as I motioned to wait for Alice. I saw her surprised look when she arrived, and she immediately started sniffing. After a few second, she pointed towards the left and we started running again. It was getting dark by now, and there were no tracks to follow the witch by. We had to start relying on Alice to sniff out the witch, but it seemed to be no use. The witch had gotten away.

"She's a fast one, we might have to give up for today." My master gave a sigh. We started walking back towards the way we came from. After walking for a while, I noticed that some of the trees seemed familiar.

"Did we walk this way before?" I asked, looking around. The area definitely seemed familiar, but we had been following the same path we took back. The Spook stopped and scratched his head.

"Aye, lad, I'm pretty sure we did. Does the girl sense anything wrong? This could be the use of dark magic, but I don't feel anything." Alice took a quick sniff and stood still.

"She's nearby, but I can't say where. Don't like this, doesn't seem right! Powerful cloaking magic she has, must be a strong one!" We looked at each other, and then my master made a quick decision.

"We have to split up, search the area for her! She may be the one causing this dark magic." With that, we each went our own ways. By now, it was so dark that I could barely see in front of me, but the moonlight still gave me brief glimpses of the trees in front. After walking for a while and not finding anything, I heard a faint rustling sound behind me. A shard of ice stabbed my spine and I immediately turned around, my chain ready to throw.

"It's just me Tom, it's just me!" Alice's pretty face stared at the silver chain I held in fear. I hastily put my chain back. It was still slightly unnerving that Alice's presence was enough for me to sense the dark in her.

"I thought you went the other direction, what happened?" I asked. Alice quickly pointed back towards the cabin.

"Old Gregory told me to find you. We haven't found the witch yet so we're heading back. Ain't feeling any dark magic around here anymore, and the way back is clear now." Nodding, I slowly followed her back. I was a bit tired after chasing the witch for so long. By the time we reached the cabin, it was midnight. I could barely see the hands in front of my face, and I was struggling to keep up with Alice.

"We're supposed to sleep inside here tonight, so one of us can stay on watch for the witch if she comes back." Alice opened the cabin door.

"Are you sure that's a safe idea?" Now I was getting slightly suspicious. It was very dangerous to spend the night inside a witch's house. She could surprise you easily or trap you inside with dark magic. All in all, it was not a good idea to take shelter in the house of an enemy's.

"Yes, yes, now let's go!" At this, I was on my guard. Alice wasn't usually this impatient and I had felt a darker presence than usual. Quickly, I pulled out my silver chain and felt everything moving in slow motion, but I was already too late. I looked behind me and saw the Celtic witch, her eyes glittering with malice. My body froze as she gave a mad giggle.

"Not much you can do with those powers, can you?" She took out a piece of cloth and grimaced as she grabbed my silver chain with it. The witch quickly threw the chain inside her cabin and pulled out a piece of twine. She bound my wrists together and then chanted something in a foreign language. I felt my lips bind together and the twine tighten painfully around my wrists. Finally, she picked me up and dropped me in the back of her cabin.

"So you were the one who bound the fiend! You shall deserve extra punishment for that!" With one last malevolent grin, she shut the door on me and changed herself into me. I sat there, in the dark corner trying to figure out a way to escape. I couldn't get the twine off from my wrists, but I could still stand up. I tried looking around the room for anything, but it was useless. It was too dark in the room to see anything, and I was tired from searching for the witch. Finally, I gave up and sat back in the corner. I was resting there for at least an hour before the door opened again. This time, it was the Spook. I could see my master's face all haggard and defeated. His normally fierce green eyes were weary and his shoulders were slumped. Behind him, I could see the witch's pale skin glowing in the moonlight, a silvery colored knife prodding at my master's back. She quickly did the same thing she had done to me and bound him. With that, she pushed him onto me and shut the door. The Spook just slumped to the ground, all the fight had gone out of him. Then, as the door shut, the Spook suddenly removed the twine that bound his hands. I felt a chill as Alice suddenly appeared in place of the Spook with a triumphant grin.

"Ain't so smart when she gets a taste of her own medicine, is she?" With that, she bit through the twine around my wrists and uttered a spell. I felt my lips unbind and I immediately hugged her.

"Thanks Alice, how did you know?"

"I sensed that there was something wrong and sniffed again while I was walking away from you. I could tell that she used a powerful version of a glamour and I followed both of you. After I saw what she had done, I quickly used a glamour myself. I changed in to Old Gregory, but I never expected her to get fooled by it. I meant to mock her, but I couldn't believe that she never saw through it. My guess is that she was too confident in her plan to check for anything that went wrong. Either way, I'm glad that you're safe." My heart swelled as she said that. I grabbed my silver chain and went outside to pick up the staff I had dropped. Alice pointed towards a direction and we ran as fast as we could. Not before long, I saw the Celtic witch disguised as myself walking through the forest. Before she walk any further, I pulled out my silver chain and tossed it at her. It was a perfect throw and I saw her crumple to the ground, writhing down. Her eyes were open wide with shock as we approached her, Alice grinning at her.

"Well lad, you did well. I suppose the girl could really be useful herself as well. I can't say that I'm not disappointed that you were fooled by a glamour, but I'm relieved that you got to her before she could do any more damage." Once again, the Spook, Alice, and I were walking towards the barn. After I bound the witch, Alice and I had brought her back to the cabin. We met up with the Spook afterwards to tell him what had happened and he quickly helped me carry her back to the barn. O'Reilly's eyes and widened at the sight of the witch, and he quickly showed us a place for a pit. We laid a small stone on top and O'Reilly wrote us a letter to a ferryman at the Dublin harbor. From there, it was a quick ride to the harbor itself from a cheap carriage.


	6. End

Once again, I'm writing most of this from my memory. We are currently on a small boat captained by one of O'Reilly's friends. When we arrived at the docks, Alice found him near the end of the dock. After a few questions, he accepted the letter with no question and agreed to take us back to the County. Alice seems to be doing fine, she hasn't shown any dangerous malevolent aspects of being a dark witch. Although she seems to have less restraint over using magic, she is still trying to hold her powers in. Whatever happens, Alice is my friend and I would never leave her. I believe that as long as Alice is with me, she will always have someone there for her, keeping her from the dark.

* * *

**Well that's the end of that! I have got to say, it was a pleasure writing that short story. Took me more or less a year to write! Overall, this story is meant to patch of the blank spots between what happened after ****Rage of the Fallen**** and ****Lure of the Dead****. Hopefully, you guys liked the story and my efforts to patch up missing spots in the plot. Cheers! :D**

**Special thanks to:**

**Firestorm Nauralagos for beta reading!**

**You are awesome, and sorry that it took so long :P**


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